Ireland Introduces Changes for Migrants and Asylum Seekers

Ireland yesterday joined many of its fellow EU countries in introducing sweeping reforms to migration and asylum seekers in particular. Most of this was signaled well in advance, so should be no surprises to most following along, but here's a quick recap:

• Individuals granted international protection will only be eligible for family reunification if they can demonstrate sufficient resources to support their family members.
• Residents of international protection accommodation who are in employment will be required to make a contribution to their housing costs, based on their income.
• The residency requirement before applying for citizenship for refugees/stateless persons will be raised from 3 years to 5 years.
• The rules for naturalisation will be tightened: Applicants must be self-sufficient, not in receipt of certain social protection payments within the previous two years, and meet clearer “good character” criteria.

While net migration to Ireland is averaging just 72,000 / year (upwards of 800K in the UK in recent years for example), that number grows Ireland's overall population by 1.6%, and requires a policy response according to currently leadership. Similar to the UK side, I'm interested to see how this affects the balance of power heading into 2029.